Floor rug and process of making same



Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BORIS N. LOUGOVOY, O1 MONTOLAIR, NEW .IERSEY, ASSIGNORTOELLIS-FOSTER COM- PANY, OF MONTCLAIE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY FLOOR RUG AND PROCESS OF MAKING SA MEE Nd iDrawing.

This invention relates to floor coverings or floor rugs and to the process of making same, and relates in particular to such products prepared with the aid of nitrocellulose plastic compositions or equivalent material.

The preferred form of the present invention is that which involves sheeting onto a supporting web, for example, paper, a. plastic composition containing a binder of nitrocellulose or cellulose acetate, cellulose ethers,

and the like. In fact, the composition 1s not restricted to the cellulose esters mentioned, but may include others of an appropriate character. Mixtures of such cellulose esters or of these ethers and esters sometimes may be utilized.

Besides paper, other substances such as cloth, burlap, and the like, may be employed in carrying out my invention. Preferably, however, I employ a waterproof backing or support for the tread. For example, I may use what is known as saturated felt, that is, absorbent paper material impregnated with a soft asphaltic material affording a cushioning elfect under the foot. In the preferred form of the invention, however, I use a waxed paper which is quite water resistant and which may be white or light colored instead of black as isthe case with the saturated felt. The black color is disadvantageous in preparing certain types of light co1- cred products and for other reasons.

It has been assumed that wax and nitrocellulose repel one another andtherefore it would be the assumption that sheeting the nitrocellulose composition onto a well-waxed paper would not yield a tread of a sufficiently adherent character. I have found, however,

0 that even though the paper contains an unnecessarily high proportion of wax from the waterproof standpoint, nevertheless, good adhesion between the tread and backing re 7 sults. I

In one form of the process I convert the Application filed December 13, 1926. Serial No. 154,655.

plastic tread material into a porous product having a notable degree of cushioning efiect. This is preferably accomplished by the expansion of volatile solvents present in the soft plastic mass, all as will be more fully hereinafterdescribed in the illustrative ex ample:

Filling material such as ground cork, wood fibre or pulp, ground wood or wood flour, linters, cotton flock, and the like, may be used as filling material. Preferably I employ in the filler a variable proportionof vegetable ivory waste, obtained from button manufacturers. This may be secured in the form of a powder or fine shavings. Its presence in the tread composition tends to decrease inflammability withount making too dense and hard a surface. 1 Moreover, the presence ofvegetable ivory results in a surface which exhibits a good finish. Vegetable ivory sawdust, also appears to improve the sheeting of the composition onto the backing.

I may employ various forms of nitrocellulose, including grades of high and low viscosity.

Gelatinized nitrocellulose is desirable and preferably I employ at least a substantial proportion of scrap celluloid. In such material I have available a percentage of camphor or other plasticizers, together with antacids. The celluloid obtained by stripping the emulsion from spent moving picture films may be employed to advantage. With this material, I may, if desired, add some fresh celluloid nitrocellulose, or may introduce low viscosity nitrocellulose. In general, however, I prefer the high viscosity nitrocellulose of the nature of celluloid stock, as it enables sheeting to be carried out to better advantage. The employment of agedcelluloid such as is obtainable in the form of celluloid scrap onfilm'is desirable in making floor covering of the present invention.

An illustration involving the employment ofthe preferred form of cellulose derivative is the following:

Vegetable sawdust mixer. The plasticizing and softening agents were added and a solution of the synthetic resin and the rosin carrying the wax was made in a mixture of the alcohol, benzol, and the remainder of the acetone. This solution is turbid. This composition was thoroughly incorporated and to it was added:

Parts 130 Wood flour 100 Perhydrated calciumsulphate' 200 Lithopone 200 Diphenylamine 5 Pigment 3 The last mentioned ingredient is pigment of any special color desired in the final.

(coated) product.

When this had become thoroughly incorporated to a smooth plastic putty, the composition was sheeted onto a paper base containing paraflin wax. Four grades of waxed paper were employed. One of these contained wax incorporated as a waxemulsion added to the paper pulp in the beater engine. The proportion of wax in this composition was low and it was not as waterproof as the paper material described below.

The adhesion of the tread to the surface was excellent.

Three grades of paper were waxed by dipping into a bath of molten parafiin wax. One grade had 58 parts by weight of wax incorporated to 100 parts of paper. A second rade had parts wax and a third grade 9 parts. These papers were very waxy to the touch and a recognition of the characteristic qualities of nitrocellulose would suggest the impossibility of' securing adherence. On

the contrary an entirely sufficient degree of adhesion was secured. In applying the plastic material to the paper I employed calendering rolls. To obtain a porous tread the sheeted material was allowed to form a skin over the surface by brief exposure to the air and was then exposed to a temperature of about This caused the solvent,

pores, but a cross section of the floor rug clearly showed the porous spongy character of the under portion of the tread. I found that it was desirable to pass the dried materialv through rolls either cold or hot, in order to level the surface. The bubbles forming beneath the surface in the mass of. the material render the surface somewhat irregular. This irregularity may be desirable for some purposes, but to obtain a more conventional finish, it is desirable to press or roll the surface to eliminate such undulations or slight elevations. This treatment may be carried out before the tread composition is dried out thoroughly and then the floor covering may be exposed to a gradual heat extending up to, say, 70 C. Preferably, however, the final temperature is kept below the melting point of the paraffin wax waterproofing agent. If.

' desired, other waxes, especiall those of light color, may be used in lace o paraflin, or in admixture with para 11, to raise the melting point. Thus, bleached Montan wax, carnauba wax, etc., may be utilized. At first, there is a rather strong odor of camphor due to the presence of this material in the movin picture film employed. On exposure, the 0 or of camphor largely disappears so as not to be objectionable.

It should be noted that the formation of a good orous under-tread depends on forming a su ciently strong surface film to prevent any substantial rupturing of the surface while sponge formation is in progress.

The benzoic phthalic glyceride resin employed above was made by heating a mixture of 59 parts phthalic anhydride, 49 parts benzoic acid and 47 parts glycerol in a kettle provided with an agitator and carrying the temperature to about 260 C.

Instead of the benzoic phthalic glyceride resin, I may, when such synthetic resins are desired, use, for example, cottonseed phthalic be used in some cases; Other plasticizers such as dibutyl phthalate, diamyl phthalate, and the like, may be employed.

As a consequence of the foregoing 'disclosure it will be evident that various modifications may be employed such as varying the proportionof the ingredients orsubstituting equivalent ingredients, or omitting certain ingredients not required for the particular purpose in hand, and I do not wish to limit myself by such specific formula in any respect other than that it serves as an illustration appropriate for a broad Comprehension of the present invention..

Another feature has been presented with especial reference to the appended claims is the employment of preferably a highly waxed paper as a backing 'for a nitrocellulose plastic or coating composition sheeted, coated or .otherwisesurfaced thereon; said paper preferably containingor'carrying at least 5 per cent by weight (of the paper) as wax (paraffin, ceresin, Montan, wax substitutes, e. g.,'

metallic stearates, and the like) and advantageously containing 10 to 50 per cent of wax, such that a nitrocellulose sheeting or coating composition would be expected to have greater or less repellent effect on this waxy surface; whereas an adherent tread or tread-surface. results and the combined tread andwaxed paper backing yields a floor covering of an integral character. 7

In such floor coveringtheratio of thickness of paper to that ofthe tread may be varied.- In some cases the paper may be thin and the tread relatively thick;fin others, the tread may be athin coating or veneer'on a relatively thick paper backing;

What I claim 1s: I

1. Afloor covering comprising a highly waxedpaper support impregnated with a wax which is substantiallyfree from dark color, such support carrying a nitrocellulose tread composition adherent thereto.

2. A floor covering comprising a highly waxed papersupport having-light colored parafiin as its prmclpal waxy constituent carryinga spongy nitrocellulose tread composition adherent thereto.

3. A floor covering comprising a highly waxed paper support carrymg a spongy mtrocellulose tread .composition' adherent thereto; said tread composition containing finely, divided vegetable ivory.

4. Floor covering comprising a nitrocellulose tread composition directly attached to a backing of paper carrying at least 5 per cent of impregnated parafiin wax.

5. In the process of'making floor coverings, the step which comprises sheeting a 'waterproo upon a heavily waterproofedbacking, and evaporating the solvent under conditions to produce a ves'iculated tread.

9. A method of making a floor covering which comprises sheeting a nitrocellulose tread composition containmg a volatile solvent upon a heavily waterproofed backing, evaporating the solvent under conditions to produce a vesiculated tread, and smoothing the surface of the tread composition.

10. A floor covering comprising a nitrocellulose tread composition carried by a backing of paper containing at least 5% of a ng wax composition.

11. A floor covering comprising a nitrocellulose treadcomposition sheeted upon a paper backing, the papercarrying from 10' to of wax. '12. -A floor covering comprising a highly waxed paper support carrying a nitrocellu- 7 lose tread composition adherent thereto:and sheetedthereupon.-

13. A floor covering comprising a waxed paper backing and a porous nitrocellulose. tread composition sheeted-thereon.

14. A waterproof paper backing having v sheeted thereon a porous andvesiculated nitrocellulose tread composition. i 1

15'.-A' floor covering comprising vesicu 3 lated nitrocellulose tread compositionhaving a substantially non-vesiculated surface.

16. A floor covering com risingfa water'- 7 proof paper support and a herentthereto a vesiculated nitrocellulose tread-composition having a substantially non-veslculated sur face. I T

17. A floor covering comprisin i was; 7 paper backing, and. a nitrocellu ose.'treadi composition containin vegetable sheeted upon the pa er acki-ngf 18. a A waterproo paper backing 'having' ivory,

sheetedthereon a vesiculated nitrocelluloseg tread composition containing nitrocellulose, a filler, a plasticizer, a resin and wax." 19. As an article of manufacture, a'sheeted article carrying a vesiculatedjnitrocellulo'se I coating.

20. A method of makinga floor' covering comprising sheeting a nitrocellulose tread composition containing a volatilesolvent upon a backing, and evaporating the. solvent under conditions to. tread.

21. A method of a licovering I composition.

which comprises "sheeting -a;n itrocellulose a 7 tread composition containing-a volat ile solvent upon a backing, evaporating the solvent under conditions to produce afvesiculated f g a tread, and smoothing the" surface of the tread 125,

.- Bomsfiqtnoucovor, c 

